Book Review- Dying to Know You by Adrian Chambers

The beauty of this book lies not in the plot, which the writer slowly meanders through, but more in the individual unfolding stories of intensely lifelike characters. Although at first the novel appears to be a typical romance, as the story unwinds we find that this aspect of the book is not the focus at all. The story begins with Karl, an 18 year old dyslexic boy who visits to his girlfriend’s favorite writer for help with his own writing; as his girlfriend is desperate to know more about cagey Karl and thinks this can be achieved through writing letters to her. However she is completely oblivious to the fact that he is dyslexic, so ironically this is actually the hardest way she could have chosen for him to express himself.

It is this task that brews a friendship between Karl and the elderly writer. Over time they learn about each other and find that surprisingly the two people of such different generations have a lot more in common than they expected. It is book that reflects the behaviorism of human nature in a realistically raw way, which reaches out to the reader as it’s something everyone can relate to. Chambers also has a skill with picking out mannerisms of people which most would overlook, this adds to the quirkiness of the book and makes it an even more interesting read. It’s also quite an inspiring book, as Karl travel’s his journey to find a way to express himself and work out his aims; the reader simultaneously goes right along with him. The fact that you know very little about Karl and the narrator isn’t a drawback because it makes the moments when they do have rare emotional dialogues even more poignant. I would say this book is definitely one to read, as its powerful story is one that will stay with you well after you read the last page.